Knight in Prada Armor
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Santana's not sure how she became Rachel's bodyguard, but there's no way she's backing down now. Sequel to Protecting the Dwarf, but can be read as a stand alone. PezBerry friendship
1. Chapter 1

_**LbN: Sequel to Protecting the Dwarf. Happy reading.**_

Santana was ignoring a Diva Moment. These happened enough that, really, everyone should've been able to smile, nod, and move on. It was Santana's theory about many of life's annoyances.

Unfortunately, Mr. Schuester didn't share that philosophical standpoint, and picked today to go ballistic on Rachel. "Enough! I'm tired of this—the solos are not up for discussion!"

Rachel, predictably, stormed out, pausing only to grab some music from one of the shelves.

Santana stood up, grabbing her bag.

"What are you doing, Santana?" Mr. Schue asked.

"I'm going after her."

"Why?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, I say good riddance," Mercedes said.

"Today," Mr. Schue said, "I'm inclined to agree. The spoiled brat thing is getting old."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Santana said. It was only when she felt the entire glee club's eyes on her that she realized she'd said it out loud.

"Something you need to say?" Mr. Schue asked, crossing his arms.

Oh hells no… he was _not _challenging her. He was! Well, teacher or not, she was Santana fucking Lopez, and she did NOT back down from a challenge. "Come on, Mr. Schue," she said, going full-on HBIC. "I expect the Rachel-bashing from them, but not you. Especially since her attitude is almost entirely your fault."

"MY fault?"

"Yes, your fault! You remember how our glee competitions started? It was because you wouldn't let Sparkles McGays-a-lot even try out for Defying Gravity until his dad was ready to take a flamethrower to this place. You've handed solo after solo after solo to Rachel, without a second thought, because you were worried about losing the club. Fine, whatever. But don't expect her to not be her normal, attention-seeking self after you've made it the norm." With that, Santana strode out of the room, pausing only to hold the door open for Brittany, who she knew would be following. Brittany may be dating Artie, but she _always _had Santana's back. Smiling at the blonde, she led the way to the auditorium.

* * *

Piano was, ironically enough, not Rachel's forte. Cello? Prodigious skills. Violin? Acceptable. Guitar? Enough knowledge to fake her way through a show. But the piano…. Still, she could at least manage to figure out part of the chords to her song for the week.

**Share my life, take me for what I am  
'Cause I'll never change all my colors for you  
Take my love, I'll never ask for too much  
Just all that you are and everything that you do**

**I don't really need to look very much further**  
**I don't want to have to go where you don't follow**  
**I won't hold it back again, this passion inside**  
**I can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide**

**Don't make me close one more door**  
**I don't wanna hurt anymore**  
**Stay in my arms if you dare**  
**Or must I imagine you there**  
**Don't walk away from me**  
**I have nothing, nothing, nothing**  
**If I don't have you, you, you, you, you**

**You see through, right to the heart of me**  
**You break down my walls with the strength of your love**  
**I never knew love like I've known it with you**  
**[From: . ]**  
**Will a memory survive, one I can hold on to**

**I don't really need to look very much further**  
**I don't want to have to go where you don't follow**  
**I won't hold it back again, this passion inside**  
**I can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide**  
**Your love I'll remember forever**

**Oh, don't make me close one more door**  
**I don't wanna hurt anymore**  
**Stay in my arms if you dare**  
**Or must I imagine you there**  
**Don't walk away from me**  
**I have nothing, nothing, nothing**

**Don't make me close one more door**  
**I don't wanna hurt anymore**  
**Stay in my arms if you dare**  
**Or must I imagine you there**  
**Don't walk away from me, no**  
**Don't walk away from me**

**Don't you dare walk away from me**  
**I have nothing, nothing, nothing**  
**If I don't have you, you**  
**If I don't have you, oh you**

Rachel whipped around when she heard clapping. "Oh, hi Santana. Look, if you're here to tell me—"

"That you were out of line? Sure, a little. You gotta learn how to be happy for people, dwarf. Still, it's fine. They should expect tantrums by now," she added with a smirk. "You practicing?"

"Yeah. I figured I should be ready, on the off chance Mr. Schue kicks me out of glee club."

"Oh, he's not kicking you out of anywhere. Not after the verbal spanking I gave him…."

"What?"

"Santana yelled at Mr. Schue for you," Brittany said.

"Why?"

"Because I, for some reason, stepped into the role of you protector. So I figured I'd continue."

"So you're like… my knight in Prada armor?" Rachel asked.

"Exactly. Knightess. Lady knight? What's the girl version of knight?"

"Day," Brittany said matter-of-factly.

The other two laughed. Rachel stood up from the piano. "So what song are you singing?"

"Don't know. Ideas?"

"Queen of the Night."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you just called me a hooker…."

It took Rachel a few seconds, and then she rolled her eyes. "Just look at the lyrics."

Santana smiled and took the book from Rachel. "Yep…definitely called me a hooker," she muttered.

"Fine, then do I Learned from You. Page 8."

The three of them stayed in the auditorium until the bell signaled the end of their day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Knight in Prada Armor**

"Santana?"

"Don't make me regret this, Berry."

"But Santana—"

"You remember me telling you that you dress like the fantasy of a Japanese business man with a dark, specific fetish?"

"Yes."

"You remember my elation when you finally got in touch with your inner Britney?"

"That was elation?"

"The point is, we need to help your wardrobe out. It's amazing what a good pair of jeans, some heals, and a cute top will do. Come on out." She heard Rachel huff. "Now, Berry!"

Rachel walked reluctantly into the open space of the Bebe dressing room. She blushed when Santana catcalled. "Thanks, but…this really isn't me."

"I know," Santana said. "Here. Try on the polos. You're not going back to the reindeer sweaters, but this is closer to your "Homeschooled Wholesome" look."

Rachel actually laughed at that as she went back into the changing room. A minute later, she called out, "I look like Quinn!"

"I highly doubt it," Santana answered. "Your hair's not blonde and you don't have pure evil radiating from your pores…. Hurry up so we can rescue Brittany from work."

* * *

"_How _do you have the money for this?" Rachel asked, one hour and nine shopping bags apiece later.

"Dad's gone to Portugal for the month, and he took Mom with him. He transferred twenty grand into my account." She smiled at Rachel's astonished look. "There are two types of rich parents, Rachel. Type one, like your Dads, are the ones who actually like their kids, and buy them the world out of genuine adoration. Type two, my parents, buy me the world so they don't actually have to be around me. Normally he only leaves ten grand, but my birthday's coming up, so the guilt was a little worse."

"Your birthday's April 8th, right?"

"Right. And before you start plotting, I prefer my birthdays traditional—for me that means ignored."

"Whatever you say, Santana. Think Brittany's done at Build-A-Bear yet?"

"I hope so, I'm starving. Let's go get her."

* * *

Reorganizing Rachel's closet turned out to be quite the feat. First of all, the diva was adorably attached to her most hideous sweaters. Anything Santana wanted to kill with fire, Rachel inevitably wanted to keep. The second thing (and this was arguably the bigger problem since it compounded the first) Rachel was a packrat.

"NOT SNOOPY!" she pleaded.

"You can't tell me you fit into this anymore, Rachel!" Santana argued, laughing. "When was the last time you wore this? When you were six?"

"It has sentimental value!"

"Like the rest of your closet?"

"Give it back!"

"No, it's going to Goodwill with the rest. It'll make some other kindergartener very happy, I'm sure." Santana shrieked when Rachel rugby-tackled her onto the bed. "Ack! Did you play for the Newcastle Falcons in another life?"

"What?"

Someone cleared their throat at the doorway. Both girls looked up to see one of the Misters Berry standing there. "Should I ask?"

"Santana decided to take me shopping today," Rachel explained. "But she neglected to tell me that she'd be destroying my old clothes!"

"Nothing is being destroyed, Mr. Berry," Santana countered. "We're just giving a few things to Goodwill, is all."

Obviously amused, the older man scanned the room, taking in the four trash bags. "I see. Well, you should know that you are, currently, fighting a losing battle. Jackson and I have been trying to get rid of Snoopy for years, but Rachel's always found a way to rescue him."

Santana laughs as Rachel pouts at her father.

"Dinner will be here in thirty, girls. Santana, will you be staying?"

"If that's cool with you, Mr. Berry."

"Please, call me Elias. I'll see you girls in a little bit."

Santana smiled and gave the Snoopy sweater back to Rachel. "Fine. This is the one concession I'm making."

"Fair enough. Hey…while we continue to erase my childhood, could you tell me what happened the other day?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what did you do to make those four back off?"

Santana grinned at her as she hung a few more things in the closet. "Ever notice how Azimio never slushies me? Our dads were roommates in college, so we're kind of tight."

* * *

"_Karofsky, Azimio," Santana said, smiling at the football players._

"_What's up, Lopez?" Karofsky asked._

"_Well, I need to talk to Az for a minute. There's five Powerbars in it for you if you find something to do," she said, holding up the snacks._

_Karofsky's face lit up like the Fourth of July as he took them. "Catch you later."_

"_Why am I slightly frightened now?" Azimio asked._

"_No worries, you're not the one in trouble."_

"_Oh shit. Who is?"_

"_Goldman and Thompson. You know Rachel Berry?"_

"_Pedophile bait? Yeah, I slushied her the other day. Don't worry, it was grape. Puck let me know it's her favorite."_

"_Ignoring that, those two have been throwing a little more than slushies. I need you and Karofsky to teach them a lesson."_

"_Wait, they've been hitting her?" Azimio nearly yelled._

"_Pushing," Santana shrugged. "But hard enough for her to fall into things that leave bruises."_

"_OH HELL NO! Slushies are one thing, but this ain't cool! Karofsky! We got a mission, dude!" Azimio yelled, following after his friend._

_Santana smirked and wandered off to find Brittany._

* * *

"Pedophile bait?"

"Remember Rachel, the fantasy of a—"

"Japanese business man with a dark, specific fetish, I remember," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. "So what about the two Cheerios?"

"Brittany told Coach Sylvester. Coach's philosophy on life is that she's the only one who gets to bully. By the time I got to the gym, she'd had the two Cheerios in pushup position for nearly thirty minutes."

Rachel smiled and helped Santana take the bags of clothes out to her car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Knight in Prada Armor**

When Santana got to school the next day, she seemed to be the center of attention. Not surprising—her new friendship was bound to garner a few remarks. What was surprising was the amount of stares and whispers. By second period, she was ready to drop-kick the next ho who looked at her sideways. She exited her geography class and spotted Quinn by the stairs. "Q!"

"Hey Santana," Quinn said, pulling out her phone and scrolling on the screen. "I've been trying to find you all morning." She handed Santana the phone.

Immediately, Santana spotted the school's most notorious blog's icon. "Oh no… what did that little perv say now?"

**Sanchel? PezBerry? Hottest New Couple?**

**McKinley High has a new prospective power couple, it seems. Vocal diva, Rachel Berry, and ex-Cheerio-turned-songstress, Santana Lopez have struck up an unexpected, but fierce, friendship. As some of you know, the pair's relationship was brought to light at the beginning of this week, when Lopez rained down fiery vengeance on a group of students who had been tormenting Berry. Many wondered about this random act of compassion by the normally ice-cold former cheerleader. In fact, yours truly spoke to a source close to the girls, who seemed to thing that Lopez's actions carry more sinister connotations. **

"**Santana's a total player. All she's after is another notch in her Ed Hardy belt. She's just trying to get into Rachel's pants."**

**We here in the blogosphere sincerely hope our source is wrong. Whether closeted couple or budding besties, the PezBerry tag-team warms our cold and jaded heart, and we would hate to see Miss Berry heartbroken. Only time will tell. Until next time, I remain humbly yours,**

**J.B.I**

Quinn gently took her phone away and squeezed Santana's shoulder. "It had to be a Glee Clubber. We're the only ones who use each others' first names."

"You know I'd never ask for your help…" Santana said, shaking with anger.

"Let's go find Jacob."

* * *

Cornering the wannabe reporter wasn't that difficult. Quinn snatched the smoothie from his hands, and Santana grabbed him by his hair and slammed him into the locker. "Hey there, Jacob," she said sweetly. "We need to talk."

"You can't intimidate me, Santana," he squeaked. "The school deserves the news."

"I'm not here to 'intimidate you', Jewfro. I just thought I should set the record straight. It's your lucky day, perv—I'm about to give you a Santana Exclusive." She smirked at Quinn as Jacob nearly creamed himself fumbling for his notepad and pen. "I do expect a favor in return, though."

"I'll be more than happy to satisfy you sexually after hours."

"Not that kind of favor, creeper."

* * *

That day in glee, Santana sat quietly as Mercedes absolutely rocked the house with How Will I Know. She clapped along with the rest of them, all the while silently plotting the demise of another member. That was for tomorrow, though. Today, she needed to talk to Rachel. She followed the diva to her locker after Mr. Schue dismissed them. "Hey Berry."

"Hi Santana. You were quiet today in glee—no snark at all. Did Jacob's article upset you?"

"Damn right it did. I took care of him though."

"Can I ask you something?" she paused, waiting for Santana's nod. "Which part pissed you off? What he said about us being a couple, or the quote from his source."

"Actually, I was more pissed at the fact that the bastard lied about me wearing Ed Hardy. As fucking if…." She grinned at the younger girl. "The quote," Santana said after Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm not just trying to get in your pants, and—" She broke off, not wanting to reveal the source's identity to Rachel just yet. "Whoever said that is going to pay. Possibly with body parts. You believe me, right?"

"I believe you, Santana. I didn't believe the article for a second—I just wanted you to tell me it wasn't true. I'm trying hard not to be as needy. Just promise me that you won't actually chop off body parts when you find out who Jacob's source was."

Santana chuckled at that. "Cool beans, Berry."

"And, if you're serious about being friends, you _have _to call me Rachel."

"Berry, I don't even call Britt by her first name."

"At least you shorten it! You don't call her Pearce."

"I'll come up with a nickname for you, when you start wearing the clothes I bought you." Santana glared playfully at her. She wasn't sure how she'd missed this particular sweater, but she would deal with it later.

"Deal," Rachel said, surprising Santana. "You have tonight to think of a nickname. I'll wear one of you New-and-Improved outfits tomorrow." With that, she closed her locker, gave Santana a brief hug, and strolled down the hall.

* * *

Santana grinned as Rachel walked toward her. "And you didn't even need my help picking," she said, giving Rachel a high five. "Nice work, Princess."

"Are you serious? Now people will really think we're dating."

Santana shrugged. "Let them think what they want. It fits—you're pretty, spoiled, and destined to be famous, whether it be through your own awesomeness or scandal."

"Thanks…I think."

Santana laughed. "Listen, I've got to go…take care of something. I'll see you in glee."

"No body parts, Santana!" Rachel called after her.

* * *

She really hadn't wanted an audience for this—much less the Gleeks—but it had to be done. "Finnocence! Front and center."

"What do you want, Santana?" Finn asked, annoyed.

"I know you were Jacob's source. He told me. You want to tell me why you're being a douche?"

"Because you're using Rachel!" Finn said. "Just like you used me last year."

"Oh get over it! You're not worried about me using her, which I'm not. You're mad that she doesn't need you anymore. Move on, Finn." With that, she gave him a swift kick in the shins and sat down between Rachel and Brittany. "There," she said to Rachel. "No body parts."

Rachel just shook her head as Mr. Schue walked in to start class.

* * *

**_LbN: Thanks for all of the reviews so far! Keep them coming! There will be at least 2 more chapters, more Rachel-centered. Let me know if there's anything you desperately want to see, e.g. Santana kicking ass, more Brittany, vulnerable!Santana, etc. :) _**


	4. Chapter 4

**_LbN: The Rainbow Brite Incident is a ref to an amazing fan fic I read the other day. I'll link it in the next chapter if I can find it again. :)_**

Santana had needed to create a brand new screen name to chat with Rachel. There were way too many people who knew her old one (SxyB3ast69) whom she did not want to talk to. She smiled when she saw Rachel was already signed in. Even if the diva hadn't already given Santana her screen name, it would've been easy to guess. Only Rachel would pick something like Broadway Gold Star.

**BWayGoldStr: What are you up to this weekend? My dads and I have game night every Saturday. You could come over. We usually order pizza or pick something up from Billy O'Flannigan's Chinese Takeout.**

**PradaKnight: do u think txt = book? Nvr snd me a txt that lng again! :)**

**BWayGoldStr: Well, excuse me for thinking the rules of grammar and spelling are important enough to be included in the online world of messaging.**

**PradaKnight: u'r pushin ur luck, Princess….**

**BWayGoldStr: So…?**

**PradaKnight: What?**

**BWayGoldStr: Saturday? :)**

**PradaKnight: …Fine. I'll brng the pizza.**

**BWayGoldStr: I'll eat anything, except sausage.**

**PradaKnight: Something u need 2 tell me? ;) **

**BWayGoldStr: What?**

**PradaKnight: :)**

**BWayGoldStr: Oh… You have such a one-track mind, Santana…**

**PradaKnight: Lol! See u Saturday!**

* * *

**TinyDncr: So… he had 2 thro the ring n the lava to destroy it.**

**PradaKnight: Right! Where was the lava?**

**TinyDncr: Mount Doom**

**PradaKnight: U got it, Britt! Y did Frodo have to destroy the ring?**

**TinyDncr: B/c it belonged to Voldemort!**

**PradaKnight: no Britt. We went over this, remember? Drk Lrd 4 Frodo =…**

**TinyDncr: Sauron. Drk Lrd 4 HP = Voldemort. I rmmbr now.**

**PradaKnight: Good. U'll b fine on Monday. Just pretend it's me asking u the questions, instead of the paper.**

**TinyDncr: so then they just flew away on the eagles.**

**PradaKnight: Right**

**TinyDncr: Why didn't they just fly 2 Mordor on the eagles.**

**PradaKnight: B/c then we wouldn't have a book… + the Nazgul were still fucking w/ them b4 the green ghost fuckers took them out.**

**TinyDncr: No, San, Eowyn killed the King Nazgul guy. The green dudes took out all the goblin dudes.**

**PradaKnight: U'r totes gonna ace this test. :)**

**TinyDncr: R u really going over to Rachel's house tonight?**

**PradaKnight: Yeah. Don't worry, we'll hang out 2mrw**

**TinyDncr: K. Can we play Streets of Rage again? I still haven't gotten past level 10.**

**PradaKnight: :) Whatever u want Britt**

* * *

Santana was entirely unprepared for Game Night at Berry Castle. When she thought of "game night", she thought pizza, Monopoly, maybe a round of Operation, and then everyone goes their separate ways. Or booze and naked twister, depending on who she was hanging out with.

This… was a production. She shouldered her gun and crouched down behind one of the barricades. The alarm around her stomach went off. Again. "Damn! You've got to be kidding me!" she muttered, ducking and rolling. "Rachel!" she said into her walkie-talkie. "Were your dads in covert ops in another life?"

"Did you get shot again? I told you to stay low! Crap, my position's compromised."

Santana ran through the backyard, taking shots at the other Father Berry, who was trying to shoot Rachel. She finally landed one, but Father Berry number one took her out for good a second later.

***YOU LOSE***

She glared down at the sensor as Rachel walked over. It seemed more than a little sadistic to make a kids' toy laugh at you. "Okay, so apparently Laser Tag isn't my forte."

"It's okay. They always win."

"Kids these days," Man Berry 1 said. "Just can't be stealth."

"I can be stealth," Santana said, grinning. "I just can't be stealth and shoot at two moving targets at the same time…."

Both Man Berrys laughed and walked back to the house.

"I don't want to go back in yet," Rachel said, taking her sensor off. "They always do victory speeches when they win combat games."

"That explains so much…."

"Hey now," Rachel said, sticking her tongue out at the other girl. "Come on, let's go."

The girls stored their equipment in the trunk on the deck, and went out the back gate. They walked in silence for a long time, which was fine with Santana. She knew it wouldn't last though.

"Santana?"

"'s up?"

"What happened? I mean, I know you were pissed about the recent bouts of barbarism at school, and I saw your interview with Jacob…"

"But you want to know why I just randomly decided that I liked you, despite two years of actively displaying the contrary?"

Rachel shrugged, smiling. "Can you blame me for being a little confused?"

"Guess not. Look, I know everyone thinks I don't have a soul—I don't exactly discourage that theory—but I meant what I said about really liking Glee Club. And, even though I'm a royal bitch to everyone, I like you guys too. And it's not fair that you get tormented for doing what you love. If I could protect everyone in the group, I'd give it a shot, but I know I can't. I can make sure you don't look like you've been used in paintball target practice, though—so I do." She smiled and linked arms with Rachel, hoping the girl would be cool with walking in silence for a while.

Surprisingly, Rachel was.

* * *

Santana had duck-shaped cookies ready to go by the time Brittany rang the doorbell Sunday afternoon. She knew the blonde was feeling a little left out, what with all of the Rachel Time that had been taking place, so this was her peace offering. She'd even agreed to let Brittany pick the movie. From her own collection, of course. She'd never let Brittany bring a movie from her own house again—not after the Rainbow Brite incident….

"Duckies!" Brittany yelped, snagging a cookie as she came in.

"I thought dessert and a movie sounded like a good idea. Which one do you want to watch?"

"Return of the King."

Santana laughed. Of all of the books for Brittany to get wrapped up in…. "Not until after your test, remember? The movie's different than the books—you don't want to get them mixed up." She sat across from Brittany on the couch, tangling their legs together.

"Make me a deal," Brittany said.

Something about the way she was smiling set off more than a few warning bells for Santana. "Am I going to end up wearing the slave Princess Leia costume again?"

"No," Brittany said, laughing. "If I get an A on this test, we watch all three director's cut editions of Lord of the Rings."

"That'll take all weekend!"

"If I get an A."

"Fine," Santana said, momentarily linking pinkies with the other ex-Cheerio.

Brittany grinned and hopped off the couch. She grabbed a movie from the shelf and put it into the DVD player.

Santana groaned as she caught a glimpse of the Bring It On box.

* * *

It was Wednesday. Rachel, Brittany, and Santana were all sitting in the diva's bedroom, completely silent. Rachel looked impressed beyond belief, Brittany looked like she'd just woken up to find a brand new puppy under the Christmas tree, and Santana…

Santana just stared down at the paper. She went over the two columns once again. Name: Brittany S. Pearce. Grade Total: 97. It wasn't possible. Not that Brittany was dumb, or anything, but… even Rachel had gotten a low A on the paper.

"I think she liked my essay," Brittany said.

"Page four," Rachel told Santana with a small smile. "I already read it."

"Why Santana Lopez is a Modern Day Aragorn?" Santana squeaked. "Do I even—"

"Yes," Rachel said, smile growing every second. "You need to read this. It's amazing."

**_LbN: The next chapter will be Brittany's essay :). I don't know why the idea of Brittany as a closet LotR fan amuses me so much, but it does. Thanks for reading! Leave a review, plz & thnx!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**LbN: Before any hardcore LotR fans get out their torches and pitchforks- I KNOW! I could've given you an actual college-level dissertation on Glee vs. LotR, or I could give you something Brittany would write. I chose the latter. :) Happy reading!**_

* * *

_**Why Santana Lopez is a Modern Day Aragorn**_

_**It wouldn't be fair to say that the halls of McKinley High are a war zone, but they are a fair reflection of Middle Earth. In Tolkien's world, all of the races stay isolated, only coming together when the threat to each of their worlds encompasses all of their worlds. McKinley is the same, with factions springing up of Cheerios versus AV Club versus Brainiacs versus football. In the midst of all this, you have the Glee Club—a mixture of all of them. And this is where you find Santana, our Aragorn for the Facebook Age. **_

_**The story of Aragorn is one of the most compelling in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A would-be king, turned Ranger, defeats his inner demons in order to protect those he loves. **__**Although at times it seems that the day has come when "the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship," McKinley High still has someone to be its source of bravery. **_

_**You may think someone like Finn Hudson would be more apt for this comparison, as he is a leader that rallies the troops of different factions, but**__** he is more of a Gandalf, if anything; the kind of leader who expects you to get through everything on your own, but will show up in a pinch, if he has to—that's Finn's style. To give him the Aragorn title would be overlooking Aragorn's (and Santana's) true strength. Aragorn, by the end, commanded armies, but throughout the novel he was better at getting individuals through the madness. He was the protector—the one who forced the Fellowship to keep moving, even in their darkest moments. It is in this that he and Santana can be compared. Both feel the pressure of high expectations upon them, but ignore these pressures when their friends are in trouble. In the books, Aragorn tries to hide from his destiny, but is ultimately led to it in his role as protector. Popularity (the modern, teenage equivalent of royalty) is slightly different, but you end up in the same place. In Santana's case, the pressures of popularity are in maintaining it, rather than hiding from it. In her role of protector, she has to be willing to step out of that sheltered environment and brave the consequences. She does. She braves slushies to the face and locker defacing the way Aragorn braves arrows to the heart and daily near death experiences if it means her own Fellowship is safe. She hasn't needed to take a flaming torch to anyone's face yet, thankfully. **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Knight in Prada Armor**

Santana had swagger. Ever since she'd read Brittany's essay, she'd been just a tad on the smug side. She'd even (briefly) considered buying the replica of Aragorn's sword and wearing it to school. She'd decided against it ultimately, but she was still a little cocky. Which is why, when Mr. Schue asked for solo volunteers, she confidently raised her hand.

"Santana?" Mr. Schue asked. "Really? You're up for this?"

"Completely. I secretly love Prince of Egypt, and I know all of the lyrics to all the songs, and if any of you tell anyone I will end you."

As the rest of the class laughed, Rachel raised her hand. "Mr. Schue—"

"God, we all know you want the part, Rachel…" Finn said.

"Actually, I was going to say that I vote for Santana for this," Rachel said quietly. "And, if she's up to it, I think Mercedes should have the other part." She looked around the classroom at all of the shocked expressions. "What? Their rendition of River Deep, Mountain High was fantastic. Their voices blend really well, and I think they'd do the song justice. And with your habit of feeding my showtunes obsession, it doesn't really seem fair to deprive Santana of the opportunity to sing the theme to one of her favorite movies," she added with a smile.

The room was still for a second, save for Brittany's nodding. Then, Puck stood up and walked calmly out the door.

"Where's he going?" Artie asked.

"No idea," Mercedes said, "but I'm totally down with this plan, if it's okay with you, Mr. Schue."

"More than okay," he said, smiling. "I'm looking forward to it. So, we've got our solos for When You Believe. Let's think about one more song, but something not as…heavy. We need something fun—something that'll get people out of their seats."

The class started to hurl ideas at him. Santana suggested Bottoms Up, and volunteered for Nicki Minaj's part, but Mr. Schue declined. As the list of suggestions grew longer (everything from This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race to Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls), Puck walked back in. He was wearing a heavy winter coat.

"What the hell, man?" Finn asked, confused.

"Rachel Berry just suggested someone else for a solo. Hell has frozen over."

Even Rachel laughed.

* * *

Even though Santana was making good on her promise to watch the director's cuts of the Lord of the Rings movies, she had to insist on a break after the first one. "We'll just watch the next one tomorrow, and the last one on Sunday."

"But Santana," Brittany whined. "We can't watch one tomor—" She stopped quickly, looking wildly around.

"Why?" Santana asked, putting the DVD back in its case.

"Oh…umm… because Rachel's helping me with my English project."

"You can build a replica of Minas Tirinth while we watch the movie," Santana said, officially confused.

"No, San. I can't concentrate on both!"

Santana nodded and walked into the kitchen to grab two drinks. She'd play along for now, but no matter what people thought, Brittany wasn't stupid—she could definitely build a marshmallow city and watch a movie at the same time. She went back into the living room, quickly developing a battle plan. Two things, generally, worked with Brittany—bribes, and outright coercion. Yes, those were two separate things. She sat down next to the blonde and wrapped her arms around her waist. "I don't think you're being honest with me, Britt."

"Sure I am," Brittany said, leaning back against her.

"No. I can tell when you're lying. Right now, I think you're lying be omission. Rachel might be helping you with your project, but there's something else."

"Call her and ask," Brittany said calmly, as the menu for Two Towers came up.

Santana huffed. If she couldn't get it out of Brittany, there was no way in hell she'd get it out of Rachel. "If you tell me, I'll take you to Hu Hot next Friday." Lima's only big-ticket restaurant was the Mongolian grill that sat in the middle of town. It was always packed, so Santana tried to avoid it, if possible. Brittany loved the place, though, so it was always good leverage.

"Call Rachel if you don't believe me," Brittany repeated, smirking at the older girl.

Santana pulled out her phone and typed: **watcha doin 2mrw nite?**

A moment later, Rachel replied: **Helping Brittany build Minas Tirinth out of mini marshmallows. Y?**

Santana sighed. There was no way Brittany was telling the _whole _truth. The two must've talked about this before. She typed: **Just wondering. Hangin w/ Britt now. Come over for LotR?**

Rachel replied: **No. Doing family stuff. See u 2mrw.**

"Finally. She's learning to text…." Brittany said, looking over Santana's shoulder.

"Why is she going to see me tomorrow?" Santana asked.

"She probably figures you'll be here when we're working."

Santana stared at Brittany for a moment, but the blonde was engrossed in the exploits of Legolas, and she didn't get another word out of her.

* * *

_**Pretty, pretty please don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than fucking perfect. Pretty, pretty please if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me.**_

Santana grabbed her phone and slid it open. "Queen B here," she said.

"Really Santana?" Rachel asked, laughing.

"I knew it was you," Santana said. "How's the marshmallow project going? Brittany eating all of your building tools?"

"Actually she's sick," Rachel said. "She's having migraines or something. So I thought you and I could catch a movie, or something."

"Damn straight, I'm taking you to see Sucker Punch."

"Puck said you've seen that five times already!"

"Emily Browning never gets old."

Rachel laughed. "I'll pick you up in fifteen," she said, and hung up.

Santana got ready quickly and went downstairs. After making sure the alarm was on, she went out to the porch and locked the door. Sitting on the swing, she passed the time by playing Ninja Jump on her phone. She was about to beat her high score when a text came in. "DAMN IT!"

**Look up** was all the message said.

She did, and gasped.

A black stretch limo was parked by the curb. The driver had stepped out and opened the door facing her. Rachel was inside, waving and grinning.

Santana walked, open mouthed, to the car. When she slid inside, she found her voice again. "All this for the movies?"

"Happy birthday!" Rachel said, handing Santana a bag.

Santana had completely forgotten. It had been so long since she'd actually celebrated her birthday, that she probably wouldn't have realized that she was 17 until Brittany had told her. She took the bag. "So that's what this is all about!"

"I know you said you didn't want anything," Rachel began to explain in a hurry. "But we're friends now, and I think you should have fun on your birthday. Open your present."

Santana pulled out the mountain of tissue paper and found a box. She took one look at it and cracked up laughing. "This is priceless!"

"It is, in fact. I had it custom made."

It was a Barbie. Tan, with shoulder-length black hair, and wearing black armor. Her accessories were a sword, and a shield with the Prada logo on it. There were also two framed pictures of princesses—one with blonde hair, and one with brown. The name read "Santana the Badass".

"I thought you'd get a kick out of it," Rachel said.

"So are we really going to the movies?" Santana asked.

"No. Kurt rented out the party room at Breadstix. Brittany's not sick, Mr. Schue made it. Everyone's here. I told them I was going to tell you on the way here, but still act surprised."

The car pulled to a stop a few minutes later. Through the tinted windows, Santana could see balloons, a cake, and Kurt's top hat. She turned to Rachel and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," she said softly. "I don't…My parents…Birthdays aren't usually fun for me. So thanks for changing that."

Rachel smiled brightly at her. "You're welcome. Now, let's go party!"

Santana laughed and exited the limo. Linking arms with Rachel, the two of them walked into the restaurant.

Being a knight was definitely awesome.

_**Fin**_

_**LbN: Hope you liked it! There will definitely be more PezBerry and Glee!fic in general coming. I love reviews! :)  
**_


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